Canning apparatus



W. A. DUNCAN. CANNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. 1918.

1,316,287. PatentdSept; 16, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

noantoz uncan W. A. DUNCAN.

CANNING APPARATUS. APPLICATION- FILED JULY 17. me;

A Patented Sept. 16; 1919.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 2'-.

- UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

WAYNE A. DUNCAN, or CHICAGO, rn'izr'rror s;

CANNING nrrnnnrfise I Specification of madman. i 'Patenf d Sept, 16, 1919.

Application filed m 17, 1918. serial" no. 245,318;

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WAYNE A. DUNCAN, a citizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to be accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved canning apparatus, and has for its primary object to provide means for automatically maintaining a supply of water in the pan, which is to be converted into steam, at a predetermined level and thereby insure a uniform steamipressurewithin the canr'e ceiving chamber of the apparatus so that the vegetables or fruits will be subjected to an invariable cooking temperature.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a water receiving panjof im-.

proved construction whereby a maximum by the same is rendered highly efficient and serviceable in practical use and capable oi manufacture at relatively small cost. a

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists in the improved'constru'ction, combination and relative arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, subsequently claimed and illustrated in the accompany ing drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

'Figure 1 is a front elevation of'my improved canning apparatus, certain of the parts being shown in sectlon;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through the can tray receiving chamber and the water pan;

F 1g. 3 is an end elevation of the water p n; V

4 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating the mannerof connecting the water conductingfpipes to the walls of the pan; and

Fig.5 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the can receiving trays.

.Fig. 6 is a fragmentaldetail. Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designatesjthe firebox of the furnace, the

sidewalls ofwvhichextend in downwardly converging relation so that the interior of flie'fire'box gradually decreases in widthfrom its upper to its lower ends These fire box Iwallsfrnay be lined with asbestos or otherinsulating m ans, and said fire box is' likewise equipped V with, a suitable grade (not shown), The fire box 5 is provided with a depending ash receiving pan 6, which is ofappreci'ably less width thanth'e width of the fire box at its base to afi'ord the longitufdinally extending supporting portions 7 at -oppositesides o'fjth'e ajsh pan chamber.

8 designates the feed door of the fire box 5. This furnace structureymaybe conven iently formed of galvanized sheet metal and- 18 supported at its' opposite ends by the 'ver ticajl legs 9I-whichj consist of, metal bars' se-' curel'y riveted or bolted at their upper ends to the sidewalls o f tlie fire box and having angular foot extensions on theirlower ends. Transversely disposed metal bars 10 aresecured the legs 9 and extend inwardly thereiroin'fth'e inner ends of said bars'be-f lllgdlVGtGdiO the supporting portions 7 at" the opposite endsof the furnacestructure.

In this manner a' very rigid an'd'substantial support is provided for the furnaceand the 7 remaining partsof the apparatus, to be sub. V

sequently rare-me to.

Tliefwater pang'generally designated the 'munerali 11', has its side andfendj walls inwardly ,inclined' and the upper edgesof these 'wall's are formed with the outwardly projectingflanges' 12, The base wall of the I waterpan upon each side ofits longitudinal center, formed" with the transversely spaced steps 13"there1n,"so that th'ecentral" portion 14' of said wall is elevated a consid loo erable distance above the lower side portions of the wall. The vertical portions of the base wall of said pan, formed by the steps 13, are connected by the'two series of pipes or tubes 15, the pipes in one series being arranged in staggered relation to those in the other series. Each of these pipes is threaded at its ends and engaged through an opening in the vertical wall of the pan. An asbestos washer 16 and a nut 17 are engaged upon the threaded end of each pipe, and by adjusting the nut, the asbestos washer may be tightly clamped around the opening and against the outer face of said vertical wall. At the inner side of said wall, solder 18 is applied around the pipe opening. Thus, all possibility of leakage at the pipe-connections is precluded. By the provision of this stepped construction of the pan wall and the connecting pipes 15, through which the water may freely flow from one side of the an to the other, a very extensive heat ra latlng surface is obtained so that the water will'be very quickly heated to a high degree and converted into steam vapor. The lower pipe 15 at one end of the pan 11 is preferably provided with a drain cock, shown at 15',

whereby the water may be completely drained from said pan.

At one end of the water pan 11, a ,vertically disposed water reservoir 19 isarranged, one side wall of said reservoir being recessed, as at 20, to accommodate an outlet pipe '21 connected to the rear end of thefurnace fire box and through which the smoke and products of combustion are discharged .to the atmosphere. To the bottom of this water reservoir, a pipe 22 is connected and supplies water to the pan 11 at one end thereof. This water feed pipe preferably extends longitudinally beneath the center of the wall sec-' tion 14: and has branches extending in opposite directions and connected to the upper vertical stepped portions 13 of said wall, whereby the water is supplied to both sides of the pan. The pipe 22 is preferably equipped with a cut-off valve, indicated at 22, so that the water supplied to the pan 11 may be cut ofi' when the tank or reservoir is being filled.

An air pipe 23 is also connected to this end of the water pan centrally thereof and above the central section 14 of its bottom wall. This pipe extends upwardly to the water reservoir and has its upper end downwardly turned to open into said reservoir above the water level. The reservoir 19 may be equipped with a transparent window, Shown at 21, and the top wall of the reservoir is provided with a filling opening having an airtight closure 25.

26 designates the can tray receiving cham- I ber having upper and lower doors 27 and 28 respectively in its front wall. To the opposite side walls of this chamber, and at properly spaced points, the longitudinally extending tray supporting rails 29 are securely riveted. This tray receiving chamber may be conveniently constructed of galvanized sheet metal and is preferably equipped at its top with a steam gage, indicated at 30.

The can receiving trays 31 are also formed of sheet metal, each tray having a marginal body wall provided on its lower edge with an inwardly extending flange 32. To the longitudinally extending flanges 32, the angular runners 33 are riveted. wardly extending flanges of these runners are adapted for engagement upon the supporting rails 29. The upper edges of the marginal walls of the can receiving tray are turned'over a w1re bead, lndicated at 3%, and

to this bead at suitable points the wire handle members 85 are connected. A sheet metal handle 36 may also be riveted to one end wall of the pan. A removable bottom 37 of slat construction is provided for each of the trays, upon which the cans or jars are directly placed and supported. The'tray bottom 37 is engaged upon the inwardly extending flanges 32 on the marginal walls of the pan.

'Each of the chamber doors 27 and 28 is provided upon its inner face and at its marginal edges with suitable gaskets 38 which effectually prevent the escape of the steam vapor from said chamber at the edges of the door openings.

Having thus described the construction of the several parts of my improved canning apparatus, the use thereof may be explained as follows: The water pan 11 is arranged within the upper end of the fire box 5 of the furnace, the flanges'12 on the pan walls being seated upon the beaded or reinforced snugly against the side of the smoke outlet pipe 21. The tray receiving chamber 26 is then mounted upon the water receiving pan,

The downsaid chamberbeing provided upon its side walls with suitable handles (not shown) 3' whereby it may be conveniently moved. The end and side walls of said chamber are provided with the outwardly projecting marginal flanges 26 which are seated upon the flanges 12 of the water pan. The cans after being filled with the vegetables or fruits are arranged upon the slat bottoms of the trays 31 and said trays then inserted into the chamber 26 upon the supporting rails 29. The doors 27 and 28 are then securely closed and a fire'built in the, fire box 5 of the furnace. The water flows from the water reservoir 19 into the pan 11 until it reaches a level above the air pipe connection 23. The bottom wall of the panand the two series of pipes 15 soon become very highly heated so that the water will be rapidly converted into steam vapor. When the water level lowers to a point below the pipe connection 23, air enters said pipe and is conducted thereby to the upper end of the water reservoir. The air pressure acting upon the water again forces the water through the pipe 22 into the pan until the water therein is again at its former level and the further admission of air to the pipe 23 is cut off. In this manner, the water is automatically supplied to the pan. Thus,

I the supply of steam tothe chamber 26 will be continuous and a uniform steam pressure maintained therein until the entire contents of the water reservoir have been consumed. The cooking heat to which the contents of the jars or cans are subjected is, therefore, of a constant temperature so that the even, rapid and uniform cooking of such contents is assured.

The side and end flanges 12 on the water pan are preferably of greater width than the side flanges on the walls of the tray receiving chamber 26 and are turned over and seamed upon the flanges 26 to secure a steam-tight connection between the water pan and the tray receiving chamber. 7

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my improved canning apparatus will be clearly and fully understood. It will be seen that I have produced a relatively simple construction whereby canning operations may be expeditiously performed with a minimum of manual labor, highly satisfactory results, and with a relatively small consumption of fuel. By my improved automatic water supply means, the operator is relieved of the necessity of constantly renewing the supply of water in the water pan, while at the same time, the maintenance of a uniform cooking temperature within the can tray receiving chamber is assured. The furnace fire box and the tray receiving chamber can be made of any desired capacity, and as the entire apparatus is constructed essentially of sheet metal, it may be produced in various sizes at relatively small manufacturing cost. It will also be apprecirangement of the various elements, it is to be understood that the apparatus is susceptible of considerable modification therein and I, accordingly, reserve the privilege of adoptin'g all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a canning apparatus, a waiter receiving pan having a stepped bottom wall to provide transversely spaced, longitudinally ex tending vertical sections therein, water conducting pipes connected to said vertical sections of the pan wall, and a supply pipe in communication with one of the first named pipes.

2. In a canning apparatus, a water receiving pan having its bottom wall downwardly stepped upon each side of its center to provide a plurality of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending vertical wall sections, and a series of water conducting pipes connecting the corresponding vertical wall sections, the pipes in one series being arranged in staggered relation to the pipes in the adjacent series.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WAYNE A. DUNCAN.-

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. G. 

